Worms Gone Bad

Sharon and I are both enrolled in the same Economics class this semester. The class goes from 5:30 pm to 9:15 pm—a LONG time! It seems the night is never-ending. The instructor is British and loves to tell us what will happen when he takes over as “Economic Dictator.” It’s pretty interesting stuff, in actuality, but the class is so long we sometimes have to take extra measures to keep ourselves awake. Thank goodness for Sharon. She has a knack for pulling all these nifty things out of her bag to distract us. Take her propensity for harboring sour gummy worms, for example. Just when you think you can bear no more, out comes a sour gummy worm, giving your taste buds a shockingly sour—and rather pleasant—sensation. She usually shares with me, although as the “sponge,” I usually get the greens, oranges, and yellows.

So when we were at Wal-Mart the last time, and I saw her grab a bag of worms, I decided I would get my own little stash going on. I planned very carefully and timed it just right to remember to actually stick them into my school bag. Monday came around. I went to work as normal, and then to school in the evening. I knew I was in trouble when I got into my car and saw that my normally stiff school bag had flopped over—as if it had melted. Oh no. Those poor little worms must be in trouble. My initial investigation confirmed that indeed! My boredom-breakers had all melted into one little pile of rainbow-colored worm flesh. There was simply no help for it. Although I was grateful the bag they were in had protected my books from wearing a new skin, it did not help me overcome my disappointment in not having my blue and red supply to help me through the long evening.

I just think it’s unreasonably hot around here.